News & Updates
The latest news and updates from companies in the WLTH portfolio.
Anthropic rolls out Claude Opus 4.7 for advanced development | ForkLog
OpenAI updated Codex and launched the GPT‑Rosalind "reasoning" model Anthropic has introduced Claude Opus 4.7 -- its most capable Opus model to date. The new release is available to all paid Claude users and via the API -- $5 per million input tokens, $25 per million output tokens. Opus 4.7 is strongest on complex tasks. Users are entrusting it with work that previously demanded close supervision, the developers said. In agentic programming the model outperformed its predecessor by 10%, and by 13% in visual data handling. Gains elsewhere were more modest. The model's visual capabilities are markedly expanded: it processes images up to 2,576 pixels on the long edge (around 3.75 megapixels) -- more than three times the previous Claude versions. Opus 4.7 follows instructions more strictly. Prompts written for older models may yield unexpected results: they interpreted instructions loosely, whereas the new version takes them literally. Retuning prompts is recommended. The latest Claude can also remember information across sessions -- it stores notes in files and can reuse them in each new conversation. Anthropic added a new "effort level" xhigh ("extra high") between high and max. It lets users fine-tune the trade-off between depth of analysis and response speed. In Claude Code, the default effort level is raised to xhigh across all plans. Other additions include: Opus 4.7 is weaker than Mythos Preview in cybersecurity. Anthropic intentionally curtailed these capabilities during training. The model includes guardrails that block prohibited and high-risk requests. "What we learn from real-world deployment of these safeguards will help us progress toward our ultimate goal -- a broad release of Mythos-class models," the startup's team noted. Anthropic invited security professionals who want to use Opus 4.7 for legitimate purposes (vulnerability research, pentesting) to join a new Cyber Verification programme. For users, the constraints have proved a headache. Some clients complain the model refuses to write code because it "suspects malware in every request". OpenAI announced a "major update" to Codex, currently available only on macOS. The new version can interact with apps on the user's computer: see the screen, click and type with its own cursor. On Mac, multiple agents can run in parallel without disrupting other software. Codex has a built-in browser: you can annotate pages directly, giving the agent precise instructions. This may be useful for front-end and game development. Developers plan to extend browser-control capabilities beyond the local environment. Codex also adds support for gpt-image-1.5 for image generation and iteration. Combined with screenshots and code, this enables visual concepts, front-end design, mockups and games in a single interface. OpenAI released more than 90 additional plugins that combine skills, app integrations and MCP servers. These include Atlassian Rovo for JIRA, CircleCI, CodeRabbit, GitLab Issues, Microsoft Suite, Neon by Databricks, Remotion, Render and Superpowers. Codex adds support for GitHub comments, multiple terminal tabs and SSH connections to remote devboxes (alpha). Users can open files directly in the sidebar with enhanced previews for PDFs, spreadsheets, slides and documents, and use a new summary pane to track the agent's plans, sources and artefacts. Codex can plan future work and automatically resume long-running tasks -- potentially over days or weeks. Teams use automation for everything from code-review requests to tracking tasks in Slack, Gmail and Notion. Developers improved the assistant's memory. Codex can retain useful context from past dialogues -- personal preferences and corrections. The model also proactively suggests useful actions, picking up where the user left off. For example, the agent can find open comments in Google Docs, pull context from Slack, Notion and the codebase, and then produce a prioritised action list. OpenAI also unveiled a "reasoning" AI model, GPT‑Rosalind, to accelerate drug discovery. It is named after the British biophysicist Rosalind Franklin, whose research helped reveal the structure of DNA and laid the foundations of modern molecular biology. OpenAI notes that in the United States developing a new drug takes on average 10-15 years. The outcome is often determined in the earliest research phases. The biggest hurdles involve sifting vast troves of scientific publications and specialised databases. GPT‑Rosalind aims to serve as a biologist's assistant: summarising scientific texts, forming hypotheses, designing experiments and processing information. The model is particularly strong on tasks involving proteins, molecules, genes and related biological structures. On the BixBench benchmark (real-world bioinformatics analysis), GPT‑Rosalind posted one of the best results among models with published data. On LABBench2, it outperformed GPT‑5.4 in six of 11 tasks. The largest margin was on CloningQA, which requires designing DNA and enzymes for molecular cloning protocols. OpenAI also published a free Life Sciences plugin for Codex on GitHub. It is available to all users and connects the AI to more than 50 public scientific databases and domain tools.
Kraken Parent Payward to Acquire Bitnomial for $550M
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Anthropic CEO Lands White House Meeting as Feud Thaws
Dario Amodei, Anthropic CEO, will meet White House chief of staff Susie Wiles to ease tensions amid the release of its new AI model, Mythos. WASHINGTON -- Dario Amodei is scheduled to meet White House chief of staff Susie Wiles in the West Wing on Friday, one of the Anthropic chief executive's most high-profile efforts to ease tensions with the Trump administration, people familiar with the matter said. The Friday meeting comes as the White House races to prepare for Anthropic's latest artificial-intelligence model, Mythos, which the company says could pose cybersecurity risks that cause widespread online disruption. Anthropic has released a preview version of the model to tech giants and organizations that run critical infrastructure and has been briefing government officials about minimizing harms. It currently has no plans to release it to the public. Anthropic is in talks to give government agencies advance access to the model, the people said. Anthropic and the White House have been locked in a bitter feud for months over guardrails surrounding the Pentagon's use of the company's Claude models. Anthropic refused to agree to the Defense Department's demand to allow its technology to be used for "all lawful uses," prompting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to label the company a security risk and President Trump to direct federal agencies to cut ties with Amodei's company. Anthropic said it wanted explicit protections against AI being used for autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. The company is fighting the government's moves in two different courts, creating uncertainty for both sides while the company's technology has been used during the conflict in Iran. Mythos is forcing both sides to return to the negotiating table and providing a venue for peace talks, people familiar with the matter said. Earlier this week, a top official at the Office of Management and Budget told government agencies in an email that it is putting in place protections to allow them to begin using Mythos, the people said. The email was a response to moves by National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross, who is coordinating the government's response, one of the people said. Anthropic has also hired lobbyists friendly with the administration as it seeks to make peace. After Hegseth designated the company a supply-chain risk, it hired Brian Ballard, a mega-lobbyist who raised more than $50 million for Trump in the 2024 election. The company also works with a firm founded by Carlos Trujillo, who served in the first Trump administration. The Pentagon has reached deals with Anthropic rival OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI to use their models in classified settings, but it will likely take months before they can be embedded in operations the way Anthropic is, security analysts have said. The analysts have said it is counterproductive for the government to be punishing one of the nation's top AI companies as it prepares to release models that could pose cybersecurity risks. Analysts following Anthropic have also said it could hurt the company's ambitions to be a top model provider preparing to go public if Republicans perceive it as a firm aligned with Democrats that is willing to take on a Republican administration. Some have said the company should have taken a less combative approach in negotiating with the Defense Department. Anthropic has donated to a political group opposing the Trump administration's AI strategy in the midterms and hired former members of the Biden administration. Amodei has held talks with Hegseth and other Trump administration officials in the past, but the meeting with Wiles is among the most high-profile discussions, the people said. Axios earlier reported the meeting was scheduled. Bloomberg previously reported the OMB email about agencies getting access to Mythos. The administration has also held discussions featuring Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent with leading tech and financial executives including Amodei about coordinating the private sector's preparation for Mythos.
Is Anthropic's Mythos AI too powerful? Bankers and ministers get into a huddle and raise concerns - key points to know
Anthropic Mythos financial system risk: A powerful new AI model from Anthropic is raising serious concerns among global financial leaders, with finance ministers, central bankers, and top executives holding discussions over its potential risks to financial systems. Claude Mythos, part of Anthropic's broader Claude AI family and a rival to tools from OpenAI and Google, has drawn attention for its ability to identify and potentially exploit cyber-security vulnerabilities. The model was discussed extensively at a recent meeting of the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC, as per a report. Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the issue is serious enough to demand attention from finance ministers globally, describing the challenge as an "unknown" risk that requires safeguards to protect financial system resilience. Champagne explained that, "The difference is that the Strait of Hormuz - we know where it is and we know how large it is... the issue that we're facing with Anthropic is that it's the unknown, unknown," adding, "This is requiring a lot of attention so that we have safeguards, and we have processes in place to make sure that we ensure the resiliency of our financial systems," as quoted by BBC. Mythos is one of Anthropic's latest AI models, designed to test how systems handle so-called "misaligned" task, those that go against expected human behavior. Early testers described it as "strikingly capable" in computer security tasks, particularly in identifying software bugs and vulnerabilities. Anthropic has chosen not to release Mythos widely due to concerns that it could expose or exploit weaknesses in critical systems. Instead, access has been limited to select partners such as Amazon Web Services, CrowdStrike, Microsoft, and Nvidia under an initiative called Project Glasswing. While some experts warn about its unprecedented capabilities, others urge caution. The UK AI Security Institute, which has independently tested the model, said Mythos can exploit weak systems but is not dramatically more advanced than its predecessor, Opus 4, as reported by the BBC. Top financial institutions are taking the threat seriously. Barclays CEO CS Venkatakrishnan said that, "It's serious enough that people have to worry," adding, "We have to understand it better, and we have to understand the vulnerabilities that are being exposed and fix them quickly," as quoted by BBC. Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey warned that such AI tools could make it easier for cybercriminals to detect and exploit weaknesses in core IT systems. He said, "We are having to look very carefully now what this latest AI development could mean for the risk of cyber crime," adding, "The consequence could be that there is a development of AI, of modelling, which makes it easier to detect existing vulnerabilities in sort of core IT systems, and then obviously cyber criminals - the bad actors - could seek to exploit them," as quoted by BBC. Meanwhile, the United States Department of the Treasury has urged major banks to test their systems ahead of any public release of Mythos. Governments and financial institutions are being given early access to test their defenses, as concerns grow that similar models could soon emerge from other AI companies without the same safeguards. Investor James Wise of Balderton Capital said Mythos may be the first of many such models, adding that efforts are already underway to invest in AI systems designed to both detect and fix vulnerabilities, as per the report. Has Mythos been released publicly? No, access is limited due to security risks. Who is using it right now? Selected partners like AWS, Microsoft, Nvidia, and CrowdStrike.
3 Reasons to Avoid SpaceX Stock When It IPOs
The company is already massive, and CEO Elon Musk's foray into politics could be a risk. According to a report from Reuters, Elon Musk's space exploration company, SpaceX, has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) slated to go live in June. With an expected valuation of more than $2 trillion, this is likely to be the largest IPO in history. And it will give retail investors access to an established industry leader in the rapidly expanding space opportunity. But all that glitters isn't gold. IPO investing comes with a unique set of risks compared to other stocks. And it is very easy to get burned. Let's discuss three reasons why investors may want to think twice before betting on SpaceX as soon as it becomes publicly available. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue " Image source: Getty Images. As a retail investor, it helps to look at an IPO as a sales pitch. Essentially, someone is trying to sell you something (shares in their company) that they previously had all to themselves. And it makes sense to dig deeper into the reasons why they are suddenly willing to give up partial ownership of their company's future earnings in return for cash today. For small, unprofitable companies, it's easy to answer this question: they simply don't have the money they need to expand operations, or the ability to raise funds internally or access debt financing at an acceptable interest rate. An established company like SpaceX wouldn't normally have such problems. However, an aggressive pivot to generative artificial intelligence (AI) has exposed the business to new expenses that it needs help paying. Financial news service The Information reports that SpaceX lost just under $5 billion in 2025. And this was largely because of the $250 billion acquisition of Elon Musk's AI company, xAI. Generative AI development requires immense capital spending for hardware and data centers. And investors who bet on the SpaceX IPO should expect this to put a significant drag on earnings and cash flow, with long-term success far from guaranteed. SpaceX's AI-driven losses aren't the only cause for concern. With an expected valuation of $2 trillion, the company will be one of the largest public stocks in the world -- up there with giants like Apple, Nvidia, and Meta Platforms. By default, new investors will be somewhat late to the party, missing out on the years of triple-digit equity value growth that led the company to its current position. To make matters worse, SpaceX's space business (which involves transporting satellites and other payloads to low Earth orbit and providing broadband internet to remote areas) seems to be slowing. Data from private market researcher Sacra suggests the company's revenue grew by 18% year over year in 2025. That's not a bad figure, but it represents a substantial deceleration from the growth rates of 51% and 89% estimated for 2024 and 2023, respectively. Retail investors may arrive just in time to miss the huge growth in SpaceX's core business while being saddled with the risk and uncertainties of its pivot to AI. Based on market results, Elon Musk is arguably the most successful investor of all time. And if the SpaceX IPO goes as planned, he will be the first person to lead two public companies (Tesla is the other) worth at least $1 trillion. That said, he also presents a significant risk to both companies due to his political activism. Elon Musk's foray into partisan politics has caused immense brand damage for Tesla. The electric vehicle maker saw sales drop 9% in 2025 amid customer boycotts, particularly in Europe. SpaceX is somewhat shielded from this challenge because it relies on enterprise and government clients, but that doesn't make it totally immune. In 2024, some members of the California Coastal Commission cited Elon Musk's politics when rejecting SpaceX's plans to increase launches in the state. Over the coming years, political backlash could affect SpaceX's ability to win contracts or secure necessary regulatory permissions, especially if a less supportive administration wins the White House. Investors should definitely sit on the sidelines of this IPO. When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,016%* -- a market-crushing outperformance compared to 197% for the S&P 500. Will Ebiefung has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Meta Platforms, Nvidia, and Tesla and is short shares of Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Trump Officials Want Mythos Despite Anthropic Blacklist
"The White House and Anthropic are in active discussions about deploying the AI firm's powerful new model, Mythos Preview, within the federal government despite ongoing efforts to blacklist the company as a supply chain risk," Axios reports. "Anthropic is in a bitter feud with the Pentagon, but even U.S. officials who dislike the company concede that it's building tools that could aid U.S. national security -- or harm it, if they fall into the wrong hands."
Anthropic Releases Claude Opus 4.7 with Automated Real-Time Cybersecurity Safeguards
Anthropic has launched Claude Opus 4.7, its latest flagship model, combining improved coding and vision capabilities with automated real-time safeguards to detect and block high-risk cybersecurity requests. The release is notable because Anthropic is testing these protections on a broadly available model before considering wider access to its more powerful Mythos-class systems. According to Anthropic, Opus 4.7 performs better than Opus 4.6 on difficult coding tasks, follows instructions more precisely, and can verify parts of its own work before responding. What's New in the Latest Update The company also says the model has stronger vision capabilities, supporting images up to 2,576 pixels on the long edge, which can help with detailed screenshot analysis, diagram reading, and document understanding. The cybersecurity angle is what makes this launch especially important. Core Upgrades: Better coding (+10-15%), precise instructions, improved long-task reliability, self-checking, stronger memory. Vision: Higher-res images, improved UI/diagram reading, 98.5% visual accuracy. Security: Real-time threat blocking, verification program, advanced safeguards. Developer Features: mode, task budgets, improved tokenizer, 1-hour cache. Claude Code:, fullscreen TUI, auto mode, xhigh default. Availability & Pricing: Same pricing, available across major platforms. Anthropic said Opus 4.7 includes safeguards that automatically detect and block prompts linked to prohibited or high-risk cyber activity. At the same time, the company is inviting legitimate security researchers, red-teamers, and penetration testers to apply for a new Cyber Verification Program so they can use the model for approved security work with fewer restrictions. This rollout follows Anthropic's recent Project Glasswing initiative, which was created to study how advanced AI models can help defend critical software while reducing the risk of offensive misuse. In that announcement, Anthropic said its unreleased Claude Mythos Preview demonstrated very strong vulnerability discovery and exploit development capabilities, strong enough that the company chose not to make it generally available. Instead, Anthropic said it would test new cyber defenses first on a less capable model, and Opus 4.7 is the first product to carry that plan into production. Anthropic also said Opus 4.7 keeps the same price as Opus 4.6, at $5 per million input tokens and $25 per million output tokens. The model is now available across Claude products, the Claude API, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud Vertex AI, and Microsoft Foundry, providing enterprises with several deployment options. For developers, the update includes operational changes beyond safety. Anthropic introduced a new xhigh effort level for harder reasoning tasks, public beta task budgets for managing token usage in long-running jobs, and a new feature in Claude Code for bug and design review. The migration guide also notes that Opus 4.7 uses a new tokenizer that may increase token counts by 1.0 to 1.35 times, depending on content, meaning teams may need to retune prompts, budgets, and output limits when upgrading. From a security industry perspective, this release shows how AI vendors are beginning to treat cyber capabilities as a governed feature rather than just a competitive advantage. Anthropic is trying to balance stronger coding autonomy with automated misuse controls, using live deployment data from Opus 4.7 to shape how future, more capable models might be released safely.
Vandenberg rocket launch this weekend. Where to see SpaceX mission
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 25 more Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX has already launched 75 of its Starlink commercial broadband internet satellites into Earth orbit in April from California. What's another 25 more? For the fourth time this month, the commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on a mission to deploy a batch of the satellites. And just like most rocket launches from the site, the mission is sure to draw crowds near and far who want to see the rocket climb into the sky. Looking for a good spot to catch liftoff? We have you covered. Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch. In the meantime, here's what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it. Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California SpaceX is working toward a Saturday, April 18, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 7 a.m. PT. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory. What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth's atmosphere where they're able to circle the planet quickly. Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person: * 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches * Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the "viewing site for SLC-6" (space launch complex-6) * Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park * Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations: * Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. * Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. * Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. * Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it's open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the Amtrak Surf Station, that visitors must cross. While trains don't run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed. Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county: * Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California. * Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101. * Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view. * San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier. * Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site: * Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans. * Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg * Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public * Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky * Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos' south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg. Other cities in California where rockets may be visible Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead - particularly after sunset and before sunrise - as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include: * Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley * Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site * Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site Will there be sonic booms? Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said. The sonic booms - brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound - could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added. "Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off," Vandenberg has also said. What to know about booster re-entry Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO. SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military. For the Department of Defense, SpaceX's Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule - the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit. What is Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's internet satellite business. With more than 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk's business empire, serving millions of customers around the world. SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth's atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California? The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX. Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]
Vandenberg rocket launch this weekend. Where to see SpaceX mission
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 25 more Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX has already launched 75 of its Starlink commercial broadband internet satellites into Earth orbit in April from California. What's another 25 more? For the fourth time this month, the commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on a mission to deploy a batch of the satellites. And just like most rocket launches from the site, the mission is sure to draw crowds near and far who want to see the rocket climb into the sky. Looking for a good spot to catch liftoff? We have you covered. Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch. In the meantime, here's what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it. Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California SpaceX is working toward a Saturday, April 18, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 7 a.m. PT. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory. What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth's atmosphere where they're able to circle the planet quickly. Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person: * 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches * Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the "viewing site for SLC-6" (space launch complex-6) * Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park * Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations: * Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. * Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. * Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. * Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it's open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the Amtrak Surf Station, that visitors must cross. While trains don't run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed. Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county: * Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California. * Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101. * Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view. * San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier. * Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site: * Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans. * Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg * Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public * Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky * Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos' south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg. Other cities in California where rockets may be visible Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead - particularly after sunset and before sunrise - as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include: * Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley * Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site * Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site Will there be sonic booms? Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said. The sonic booms - brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound - could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added. "Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off," Vandenberg has also said. What to know about booster re-entry Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO. SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military. For the Department of Defense, SpaceX's Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule - the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit. What is Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's internet satellite business. With more than 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk's business empire, serving millions of customers around the world. SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth's atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California? The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX. Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]
Vandenberg rocket launch this weekend. Where to see SpaceX mission
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 25 more Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX has already launched 75 of its Starlink commercial broadband internet satellites into Earth orbit in April from California. What's another 25 more? For the fourth time this month, the commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on a mission to deploy a batch of the satellites. And just like most rocket launches from the site, the mission is sure to draw crowds near and far who want to see the rocket climb into the sky. Looking for a good spot to catch liftoff? We have you covered. Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch. In the meantime, here's what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it. Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California SpaceX is working toward a Saturday, April 18, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 7 a.m. PT. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory. What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth's atmosphere where they're able to circle the planet quickly. Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person: * 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches * Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the "viewing site for SLC-6" (space launch complex-6) * Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park * Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations: * Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. * Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. * Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. * Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it's open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the Amtrak Surf Station, that visitors must cross. While trains don't run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed. Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county: * Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California. * Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101. * Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view. * San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier. * Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site: * Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans. * Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg * Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public * Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky * Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos' south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg. Other cities in California where rockets may be visible Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead - particularly after sunset and before sunrise - as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include: * Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley * Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site * Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site Will there be sonic booms? Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said. The sonic booms - brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound - could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added. "Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off," Vandenberg has also said. What to know about booster re-entry Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO. SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military. For the Department of Defense, SpaceX's Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule - the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit. What is Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's internet satellite business. With more than 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk's business empire, serving millions of customers around the world. SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth's atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California? The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX. Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]
Vandenberg rocket launch this weekend. Where to see SpaceX mission
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 25 more Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX has already launched 75 of its Starlink commercial broadband internet satellites into Earth orbit in April from California. What's another 25 more? For the fourth time this month, the commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on a mission to deploy a batch of the satellites. And just like most rocket launches from the site, the mission is sure to draw crowds near and far who want to see the rocket climb into the sky. Looking for a good spot to catch liftoff? We have you covered. Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch. In the meantime, here's what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it. Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California SpaceX is working toward a Saturday, April 18, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 7 a.m. PT. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory. What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth's atmosphere where they're able to circle the planet quickly. Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person: * 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches * Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the "viewing site for SLC-6" (space launch complex-6) * Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park * Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations: * Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. * Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. * Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. * Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it's open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the Amtrak Surf Station, that visitors must cross. While trains don't run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed. Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county: * Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California. * Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101. * Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view. * San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier. * Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site: * Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans. * Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg * Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public * Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky * Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos' south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg. Other cities in California where rockets may be visible Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead - particularly after sunset and before sunrise - as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include: * Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley * Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site * Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site Will there be sonic booms? Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said. The sonic booms - brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound - could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added. "Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off," Vandenberg has also said. What to know about booster re-entry Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO. SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military. For the Department of Defense, SpaceX's Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule - the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit. What is Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's internet satellite business. With more than 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk's business empire, serving millions of customers around the world. SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth's atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California? The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX. Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]
Anthropic launches Claude Opus 4.7 with coding and AI agent upgrades
Anthropic has announced the release of Claude Opus 4.7, introducing significant improvements in advanced coding, AI agent workflows, and multimodal capabilities. The model is now generally available across Claude apps, APIs, and major cloud platforms, positioning itself as a stronger upgrade over Opus 4.6 for professional and enterprise use cases. Claude Opus 4.7 is designed for complex, multi-step tasks that require: The model improves instruction following, self-verification before outputs, and memory usage across sessions. This allows it to handle long-running AI agent tasks with reduced supervision. Claude Opus 4.7 introduces improved vision capabilities: This also improves output quality for UI design, presentations, and professional documents. Anthropic has introduced several new tools for developers. Key additions include: These updates aim to give developers more control over cost, performance, and output depth. Claude Opus 4.7 maintains a safety profile similar to its predecessor, with targeted improvements: Anthropic notes: Security professionals can access advanced capabilities via the Cyber Verification Program. Anthropic recommends testing real workloads before full migration. Claude Opus 4.7 is available across Claude apps, Claude API (), Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud Vertex AI, and Microsoft Foundry.
Anthropic CEO to meet White House chief of staff amid Pentagon dispute, Axios reports
April 17 (Reuters) - Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is slated to meet White House chief of staff Susie Wiles on Friday, in a sign of a breakthrough in the artificial intelligence startup's dispute with the Pentagon, Axios reported. The potential meeting comes as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration acknowledges the advanced capabilities of Anthropic's new AI model, Mythos, for its sophisticated cybersecurity defense breaching abilities, according to the report. White House and Anthropic did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters could not independently verify the report. It would be "grossly irresponsible" for the U.S. government to deprive the country of the technological advantages offered by the new model, suggesting such a move would benefit China, Axios reported, citing a source close to the negotiations. Separately, the New York Times' DealBook newsletter reported that the Treasury and the State Departments, have asked Anthropic for briefings on and access to Mythos. Representatives for the Treasury and the State Departments could not immediately be reached for comment Announced on April 7, Mythos is being deployed as part of Anthropic's "Project Glasswing," a controlled initiative under which select organizations are permitted to use the unreleased Claude Mythos Preview model for defensive cybersecurity purposes. Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that the U.S. government is planning to make a version of Anthropic's Mythos available to major federal agencies. Anthropic was discussing Mythos with the Trump administration, co-founder Jack Clark said on Monday, even after the Pentagon cut off business ties with the U.S. AI lab following a contract dispute. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)
Anthropic Ceo To Meet Top White House Aide Amid Pentagon Dispute
2:16 Anthropic claims its caller AI exemplary excessively risky to merchandise to public An artificial intelligence (AI) institution says it has completed a caller exemplary that is truthful could that the nationalist cannot beryllium allowed to usage it. It's the aforesaid institution that refused to fto the U.S. authorities usage its AI to target weapons. Anthropic's projected gross has changeable up from USD$9 cardinal to $30 cardinal this year. Nathaniel Dove looks astatine whether the announcement is trading -- aliases a warning. - Apr 9, 2026 Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is slated to meet White House main of unit Susie Wiles connected Friday, successful a motion of a breakthrough successful the artificial intelligence startup's conflict pinch the Pentagon, Axios reported. The imaginable gathering comes arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump's management acknowledges the precocious capabilities of Anthropic's caller AI model, Mythos, for its blase cybersecurity defense breaching abilities, according to the report. White House and Anthropic did not instantly respond to requests for comment. Reuters could not independently verify the report. It would beryllium "grossly irresponsible" for the U.S. authorities to deprive the state of the technological advantages offered by the caller model, suggesting specified a move would use China, Axios reported, citing a root adjacent to the negotiations. Announced connected April 7, Mythos is being deployed arsenic portion of Anthropic's "Project Glasswing," a controlled inaugural nether which prime organizations are permitted to usage the unreleased Claude Mythos Preview exemplary for protect cybersecurity purposes. Bloomberg News reported connected Thursday that the U.S. authorities is readying to make a type of Anthropic's Mythos disposable to awesome national agencies. Anthropic was discussing Mythos pinch the Trump administration, co-founder Jack Clark said connected Monday, moreover aft the Pentagon trim disconnected business ties pinch the U.S. AI laboratory pursuing a statement dispute.
Amid accusations against traders of exploiting the needy | Chaos erupts during aid distribution in Deir Ezzor
Deir Ezzor province: A centre run by the Syrian Red Crescent in Deir Ezzor province witnessed unrest and chaos during an aid distribution process in the past few hours, following interference by some traders seeking to purchase the supplies from beneficiaries immediately after they received them. According to SOHR sources, the presence of these traders near distribution centres caused tension among residents, amid accusations that they were attempting to exploit the dire living conditions to pressure beneficiaries into selling the aid at low prices. Sources added that the unrest sometimes escalated into verbal altercations, prompting centre staff to intervene in order to organise the distribution process and prevent further chaos. This coincides with deteriorating economic and living conditions in Deir Ezzor, where a large number of residents rely on humanitarian aid, as fears grow over the spread of profiteering from these supplies. Such practices threaten to divert aid away from those who truly need it.
CEO of blacklisted Anthropic is going to the White House
(CNN) -- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is visiting the White House on Friday for a high-stakes meeting with the president's top adviser, while his AI company battles the Trump administration in court for blacklisting its Claude AI model. Amodei will meet with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, two sources familiar with the meeting told CNN. Axios first reported on the meeting. Anthropic declined to comment. Until recently, Anthropic's Claude was the only AI model available in the Pentagon's classified network. But President Donald Trump recently announced the administration would sever ties with the company after Anthropic refused to back down on terms that would allow the military to use Claude for "all lawful purposes," including autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. After a breakdown in talks over Claude's use, the Pentagon went on to declare Anthropic a "supply chain risk," a label only used in the past for companies associated with foreign adversaries. It would effectively blacklist Anthropic from the government. Anthropic sued the Trump administration in response, and a federal judge in California last month blocked the Pentagon's effort to "punish" Anthropic. The government said it will appeal the ruling. The Pentagon has said it wants unfettered access to Claude for "all lawful purposes," because it needs complete freedom to use those tools, especially in wartime. Anthropic has argued that AI models are just not yet reliable enough to be used in autonomous weapons, and that US law has not caught up to be able to protect Americans around AI's use in mass surveillance. Meanwhile, Anthropic announced a forthcoming powerful AI model called Mythos, that it and experts have warned could be a "watershed" moment for cybersecurity, allowing select groups to get early access to assess their cybersecurity risk. The Office of Management and Budget has already told agencies it is preparing to give them access to Mythos to prepare, Bloomberg reported. Axios reported the White House is also in discussion to gain access to Mythos. Anthropic declined to comment on whether the Trump administration was working to test Mythos. "The White House continues to proactively engage across government and industry to protect the United States and Americans. This includes working with frontier AI labs to ensure their models help secure critical software vulnerabilities," a White House official told CNN. "Any new technology that would potentially be used or deployed by the federal government requires a technical period of evaluation for fidelity and security. The collective effort of all involved will ultimately benefit industry, and our country, as a whole." The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Kraken Buys Bitnomial in $550M Deal to Secure Full US Derivatives Licensing Stack - FinanceFeeds
Crypto exchange Kraken's parent company, Payward, has agreed to acquire digital asset derivatives platform Bitnomial for up to $550 million in cash and stock, in a transaction that values the firm at $20 billion. The deal brings three critical licenses under Payward's control: a brokerage, a clearinghouse, and an exchange. Bitnomial is the first crypto-native platform to secure the full set of regulatory approvals required to operate a domestic derivatives stack. It holds licenses to operate a designated contract market, a derivatives clearing organization, and a futures commission merchant, providing a complete regulatory framework for U.S.-based derivatives trading. The acquisition allows Payward to bypass years of regulatory buildout as it expands its U.S. footprint, accelerating its entry into one of the most tightly controlled derivatives markets globally. "The shape of a market is determined by its clearing infrastructure, not its front end," said Payward Co-CEO Arjun Sethi, pointing to Bitnomial's settlement, collateral, and continuous trading capabilities. The deal reflects a broader shift in Kraken's strategy as it prepares for a potential public listing and expands beyond core crypto trading into multi-asset infrastructure. Payward had confidentially submitted a draft S-1 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in November, although plans were later delayed due to market conditions. In recent years, Kraken has focused on targeted acquisitions that strengthen regulatory positioning and derivatives capabilities. Its $1.5 billion acquisition of NinjaTrader in 2025 marked a major step into U.S. futures markets, providing access to a large base of retail derivatives traders and a CFTC-registered platform. Earlier transactions, including BCM and Small Exchange, were aimed at building out institutional infrastructure and expanding product coverage across trading segments. Bitnomial extends this strategy by adding a fully regulated U.S. derivatives stack to Payward's portfolio. The integration of Bitnomial's infrastructure with Payward's global distribution network will support a range of derivatives products for U.S. clients, including spot margin, perpetual futures, and options under Commodity Futures Trading Commission oversight. The deal also expands Payward Services, the company's B2B infrastructure arm, enabling banks, fintech firms, and brokerages to access regulated U.S. derivatives markets through a single API. This approach targets institutional demand for compliant access to crypto-linked derivatives without direct exposure to unregulated venues. Globally, Payward has been building out its derivatives capabilities through acquisitions and product launches, including a U.K. crypto futures platform acquired in 2019 and a European offering launched in 2025. Bitnomial adds a fully regulated domestic layer to that strategy. Deal activity across the crypto sector has begun to recover after a prolonged slowdown, with firms focusing on acquisitions that address specific structural gaps such as custody, derivatives, and compliance. Larger players are targeting assets that provide immediate regulatory or operational advantages. At the same time, market conditions have created opportunities for consolidation. Lower valuations and tighter funding environments have made smaller firms more receptive to acquisition, contributing to a more pragmatic phase of industry growth. Payward's move reflects this shift, prioritizing infrastructure and regulatory alignment over expansion driven purely by user growth. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions.
Vandenberg rocket launch this weekend. Where to see SpaceX mission
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 25 more Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX has already launched 75 of its Starlink commercial broadband internet satellites into Earth orbit in April from California. What's another 25 more? For the fourth time this month, the commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on a mission to deploy a batch of the satellites. And just like most rocket launches from the site, the mission is sure to draw crowds near and far who want to see the rocket climb into the sky. Looking for a good spot to catch liftoff? We have you covered. Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch. In the meantime, here's what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it. Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California SpaceX is working toward a Saturday, April 18, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 7 a.m. PT. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory. What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth's atmosphere where they're able to circle the planet quickly. Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person: * 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches * Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the "viewing site for SLC-6" (space launch complex-6) * Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park * Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations: * Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. * Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. * Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. * Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it's open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the Amtrak Surf Station, that visitors must cross. While trains don't run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed. Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county: * Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California. * Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101. * Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view. * San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier. * Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site: * Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans. * Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg * Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public * Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky * Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos' south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg. Other cities in California where rockets may be visible Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead - particularly after sunset and before sunrise - as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include: * Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley * Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site * Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site Will there be sonic booms? Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said. The sonic booms - brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound - could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added. "Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off," Vandenberg has also said. What to know about booster re-entry Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO. SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military. For the Department of Defense, SpaceX's Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule - the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit. What is Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's internet satellite business. With more than 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk's business empire, serving millions of customers around the world. SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth's atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California? The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX. Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]
AI-boosted hacks with Anthropic's Mythos could have dire consequences for banks
ANTHROPIC'S MYTHOS, a new artificial intelligence (AI) model the company and cybersecurity experts warn could supercharge complex cyberattacks, poses significant challenges to the banking industry with its legacy technology systems, experts said in the days following the model's announcement. The model, announced April 7, is the company's "most capable yet for coding and agentic tasks," the company said in a blog post, referring to the model's ability to act autonomously. Its capabilities to code at a high level have given it a potentially unprecedented ability to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities and devise ways to exploit them, experts said. That's a particular problem for banks and other financial institutions, which run technology stacks that integrate state-of-the-art tools with decades-old software, potentially opening a large number of vulnerabilities, according to TJ Marlin, the chief executive of enterprise AI security firm Guardrail Technologies. Mr. Marlin said Mythos Preview can "look across a very complex architecture, including this legacy infrastructure where, frankly, these undiscovered vulnerabilities and complexities are now accessible and threat factors." The banking industry is also closely connected, with many companies operating the same narrow set of software to onboard customers, perform know-your-customer checks, and handle transactions. "Because it's a very specialized industry and heavily regulated, there's a lot of IT interconnections," said Naresh Raheja, a San Francisco-based consultant who previously worked at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. "Many banks use the same vendors and the same solutions." Mr. Marlin said that could act as a force multiplier for breaches, making any AI-powered exploits "potentially catastrophic at scale." Government officials in at least three countries -- the US, Canada and Britain -- have met with top banking officials to discuss the threats posed by Claude Mythos Preview. The US Treasury said that Donald Trump's administration was pushing financial institutions "to understand and anticipate a wide range of market developments" and that further meetings around the issue were planned. Anthropic declined to comment beyond its April 7 announcement. Anthropic has said Claude Mythos Preview will not be made generally available. Instead, the company announced Project Glasswing, in which it invited major tech companies, cybersecurity vendors and JPMorgan Chase, along with several dozen other organizations, to privately evaluate the model and prepare defenses accordingly. IDENTIFYING VULNERABILITIES Claude Mythos Preview is capable of identifying and exploiting previously undiscovered vulnerabilities in every major computer operating system and every major web browser, the company said in announcing Project Glasswing. In a technical blog released alongside the main announcement, Anthropic researchers describe how Mythos Preview identified "thousands" of high and critical-severity vulnerabilities, meaning that targets could suffer grave impacts as a result, including data and operational compromise. The researchers described how the model identified a 16-year-old vulnerability in the widely used FFmpeg software library, an open-source program used for processing audio and video files, and how it identified a bug in an unnamed virtual machine monitor program, which allows users to create segregated virtual computers within their own in ways that are supposed to protect the host system. A Cloud Security Alliance coalition of cybersecurity executives and former senior US government officials warned in an April 12 strategy briefing that Mythos represents "a step change" in the trajectory of capable AI models that "lowers the cost and skill floor for discovering and exploiting vulnerabilities faster than organizations can patch them." Costin Raiu, a longtime security researcher and co-founder of cybersecurity firm TLPBLACK, said in an interview that the banking industry has key legacy technology systems initially released decades ago that have been updated many times over the years, pointing to products produced by firms including IBM, as an example. "A model like Mythos would have a field day finding exploits" in certain IBM systems, Mr. Raiu said, pointing to examples of IBM-related vulnerability research. "And it's just one example of ancient technologies powering the financial industry." In an April 9 blog post, IBM said that Mythos is "forcing enterprise security teams to rethink their defenses from the ground up," and called for more of an open-source approach, where more companies and researchers have access to the model to make everyone more secure. The company did not respond to requests for comment. JPMorgan Chase said in a statement last week that it was part of a group of leading companies that were privately evaluating Mythos, something it called "a unique, early-stage opportunity to evaluate next-generation AI tools for defensive cybersecurity across critical infrastructure." The company did not return a message. Wells Fargo also didn't respond to a message. FS-ISAC, the nonprofit that works to boost the cybersecurity of the global financial system, did not respond to written questions. Bank of America, Citibank, the American Bankers Association and the Consumer Bankers Association declined comment. -- Reuters
Vandenberg rocket launch this weekend. Where to see SpaceX mission
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 25 more Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX has already launched 75 of its Starlink commercial broadband internet satellites into Earth orbit in April from California. What's another 25 more? For the fourth time this month, the commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on a mission to deploy a batch of the satellites. And just like most rocket launches from the site, the mission is sure to draw crowds near and far who want to see the rocket climb into the sky. Looking for a good spot to catch liftoff? We have you covered. Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch. In the meantime, here's what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it. Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California SpaceX is working toward a Saturday, April 18, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 7 a.m. PT. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory. What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth's atmosphere where they're able to circle the planet quickly. Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person: * 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches * Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the "viewing site for SLC-6" (space launch complex-6) * Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park * Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations: * Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. * Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. * Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. * Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it's open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the Amtrak Surf Station, that visitors must cross. While trains don't run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed. Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county: * Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California. * Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101. * Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view. * San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier. * Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site: * Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans. * Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg * Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public * Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky * Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos' south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg. Other cities in California where rockets may be visible Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead - particularly after sunset and before sunrise - as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include: * Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley * Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site * Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site Will there be sonic booms? Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said. The sonic booms - brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound - could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added. "Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off," Vandenberg has also said. What to know about booster re-entry Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO. SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military. For the Department of Defense, SpaceX's Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule - the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit. What is Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's internet satellite business. With more than 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk's business empire, serving millions of customers around the world. SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth's atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California? The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX. Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]